Hospital Board Votes to Support Opening as Opposing Arguments Wither in Sunlight

As an investigative reporter, I have long subscribed to the practice that "sunlight is the best disinfectant" to transform backroom politics that do not serve "We, the People."

The power of this sunlight, or transparency, was demonstrated yesterday at a special meeting of the Palm Drive District Board. At the meeting, which was covered in a Press Democrat article today that can be read here, the hospital board heard a compelling, detail-laden revised presentation from the Sonoma West Medical Center's (SWMC) top managers. Ray Hino, the collegial, bridge-building CEO that will be managing the new hospital, led the presentation, with the new CFO and COO talking about financial projections and sources of income.

The presentation resulted in a unanimous vote by the District Board to support the new plan, subject to approval of an operating agreement. Even Board Member Marsha Sue Lustig, who, in the past, has expressed skepticism about the viability of reopening, seemed impressed, calling the new presentation “great.”

Then, the public comment period of the meeting provided an opportunity for many supporters of reopening (myself included) to express themselves, as well as a couple of speakers who have long opposed the reopening efforts.

Sebastopol City Council member John Eder, who, sadly, still acts as the Council’s official liaison to the Palm Drive Board (and whose partner, Marsha Sue Lustig, is a member of the Board), trotted out the latest argument opposing reopening. Eder spoke ominously of a lawsuit against St. Helena's Hospital regarding its no wait ER practices that ended in a settlement and payout. Repeating an anti-hosptial talking point that originated with a column by Jim Horn in (where else) The Sonoma West, Eder suggested that the no-wait ER, and the hospital’s former CEO, were not successful, and implied that fraudulent practices might be what is coming to the new SWMC.

Council Member Eder apparently had either not read the rebuttal to these untrue accusations here on Wacco last week, or he cares less about the truth than about grasping at an ever dwindling assortment of argumentative straws to slander the hospital reopening effort.

But the new hospital’s even-keeled CEO Ray Hino thanked Eder for his question, and proceeded to explain that the lawsuit settlement had to do with too many angioplasty operations and nothing to do with the no-wait ER, or the former CEO who assisted with the reopening effort.

A little later, a large landowner from the Guerneville area spoke out about what she termed the “autocracy,” the “haste,” and the “coup” through which those in the Russian River corridor were being forced to pay taxes for a hospital and emergency room that, she asserted, people there did not need or want.

Hospital Board member Sandra Bodley, who has long opposed the efforts to reopen the hospital and who endorsed Jim Horn’s candidacy to join her in what would have been a Hospital Board majority committed to finding a use for the hospital building that excluded an emergency room or hopsital, encouraged the tax dissenter.

Ignoring the fact that a wide majority of West County residents voted for the original parcel tax, and that the explicit purpose of the tax, as well as the elected Board, is to provide a hospital with an emergency room, Bodley noted that the people from the Russian River area were “right to be offended,” and that the speaker was presenting a widespread sentiment from the community.

Then, in what was one of the most ironic accountability moments since the hospital closing was announced, Sandra Bodley looked out over the overfilled meeting room of 75 people, and asked for a show of hands of people in the room who were from the Russian River area and shared the speaker’s concerns.

Only four people raised their hands. Less than 6% of those present.

Then the Palm Drive District Board’s two newest members got to speak.

The soft, but forceful Dr. Richard Powers, who received well over 90% of the popular vote in the November electoral uprising that ushered in a new pro-opening Board majority, responded, “We hear from four people who attend these meetings regularly, but I have numerous patients from Guerneville and the Armstrong Woods area who are loyal users of this hospital, and who want to see it reopen.”

Dennis Colthurst, the former cop on the cop and doc team, agreed, noting, “of the 1,600 ambulance trips to Palm Drive hospital in 2013, 400 of them came from the River area. I was elected to open the hospital and that’s what we are going to do.”

Election Night Victors Dr. Richard Powers and Dennis Colthurst (photo by Jonathan Greenberg)

And so sunlight from our democratic public process continues to dissolve the few lingering arguments stirring from a small, but powerful political cliché that has been invested in failure as the only option for a hospital with an emergency room for our West County Community.

Meanwhile, a transformative consensus continues to grow: that the work ahead is not about whether or not our community will get a new hospital with an emergency room, but how We, the People, can support its success.

Your entitled to your opinion. The counting of raised hands from River residents is not representative of the reality. I know that you did not attend the meeting at the Guerneville Veterans building last year conducted by Marsha Sue Lustig and Nancy Dobbs. They wanted to hear the ideas from the local residents. What they heard from the outset was a that a majority in attendance wanted to detach from the district and be free of this "boondoggle". Just ask Jim Maresca because he was there and heard it for himself.

Those in attendance at the special board meeting on Monday showed their complete contempt for a very large part of the district taxpayers. Is that what you mean when you say "opposing arguments whither in sunlight"?

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Posted in reply to the post by Peacetown Jonathan:

...Then, in what was one of the most ironic accountability moments since the hospital closing was announced, Sandra Bodley looked out over the overfilled meeting room of 75 people, and asked for a show of hands of people in the room who were from the Russian River area and shared the speaker’s concerns.

Only four people raised their hands. Less than 6% of those present....

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Posted in reply to the post by dog&pony:

You're entitled to your opinion. The counting of raised hands from River residents is not representative of the reality. I know that you did not attend the meeting at the Guerneville Veterans building last year conducted by Marsha Sue Lustig and Nancy Dobbs. They wanted to hear the ideas from the local residents. What they heard from the outset was a that a majority in attendance wanted to detach from the district and be free of this "boondoggle". Just ask Jim Maresca because he was there and heard it for himself.

Those in attendance at the special board meeting on Monday showed their complete contempt for a very large part of the district taxpayers. Is that what you mean when you say "opposing arguments whither in sunlight"?

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I live out on the River and I resent having to pay for a hospital that I will never use. If you took another vote I bet the public would vote this multiple failure of a hospital down. But that would be real transparency. Of course, "Peacetown" wouldn't want that because he is not an unbiased reporter but a wannabe politician interested in only presenting his side of the argument. I sincerely hope PD can open and stay open with a bigger partner. If they can't make it this time then enough already, the price of failure should be failure.

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Posted in reply to the post by dog&pony:

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Those in attendance at the special board meeting on Monday showed their complete contempt for a very large part of the district taxpayers. ...

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Here are some more comments:

1. I heard and respect what Dr. Powers said about patients he has in the River area. However, without violating the HIPPA law, I can tell that I am familiar with one of his oldest patients who recently had a serious blood cot condition. She is home in Forestville and being cared for by her daughter and nurses. The fact is that Palm Drive being closed when this occurred made not one iota of difference in her treatment.

2. About the raising of hands at the meeting. You were not aware that I was outside with 4 other River rats when Sandra asked the question. In addition, Margaret B. had also left because she could not stand the BS being presented. So if you want to quote percentages, you should be accurate.

3. You have to admit that Newmeyer, Hino and Dr. Look were all associated with the Adventist group. Yes I know that the settlement means that no guilt is admitted. We all know how the legal system works. The DA decides that it is more cost effective to settle than go to trial. I don't know about you but, I would never settle if I was completely innocent.

4. Regarding Jim Maresca at the Guerneville Vets Hall when the two board members tried valiantly to have a civil meeting with the residents... Right off the bat, Mr. Cassidy (a retired resident of Guerneville) asked why the district didn't handle the bankruptcy by selling their assets. That wave of questioning continued for 15 minutes. Maresca looked like a deer in the headlights. Now his desire to serve the Foundation/SWMC is a complete abandonment of his fiduciary to the entire district...not just Sebastopol residents.

5. I serve on a Board of Directors and took the required ethics course. That board always has legal counsel at each board meeting. What gives with Colin Coffey not attending these last several meetings? There have been legal issues that needed clarification at each meeting.

6. You should know that I often see the property tax statement of my clients. In many cases of seniors, the largest line item is the $155 for PDHCD. I can tell you that they all go to other hospitals and don't want to pay this tax.

"Sebastopol City Council member John Eder, who, sadly, still acts as the Council’s official liaison to the Palm Drive Board (and whose partner, Marsha Sue Lustig, is a member of the Board), trotted out the latest argument opposing reopening. Eder spoke ominously of a lawsuit against St. Helena's Hospital regarding its no wait ER practices that ended in a settlement and payout. Repeating an anti-hosptial talking point that originated with a column by Jim Horn in (where else) The Sonoma West, Eder suggested that the no-wait ER, and the hospital’s former CEO, were not successful, and implied that fraudulent practices might be what is coming to the new SWMC."

Having hauled many family members, friends, strangers and myself a couple of times to Palm Drive over the years my experience has been they pretty much already had a no wait ER.

Given a few of the responses above, I would like to add to my two examples of arguments that wither in sunlight. The examples I started this post with have to do with 1) Council Member John Eder bringing up an irrelevant lawsuit to discredit the excitement over a no wait ER and 2) the suggestion by a few speakers that the Board should oppose opening a new hospital because a tiny number of vocal, politically influential anti-tax activists do not want to pay the tax (despite the fact that their neighbors overwhelmingly voted for it).

This tax, which will remain in place and be required whether the hospital reopens or not, was created so that we, and our neighbors, could continue to have a hospital with a life saving emergency room in our community.

I’d like to reflect some sunlight now on this argument, as heard above and last Monday, that “I do not use the hospital, why should I pay for it?”

I would never think to stand up at County Supervisor meetings and speak out against the high cost of our County Sheriff Department’s Guerneville substation. Here in our small City of Sebastopol, I pay taxes, in addition to County taxes, for our City’s excellent police force to keep me safe. I have never called, or “used,” the Sheriff Department. But I am not complaining about helping pay for it, because this is a service that others in our community need.

Same goes for Santa Rosa Junior College. I just supported and will pay for the new bond issue. But I don’t use it myself. Health services for the poor and indigent? Housing for the homeless?

The list of how our tax dollars are used is pretty long. A local, high quality hospital with a life saving emergency room tops this list for many of us—and has for the past 70 years.

So now we are hearing from a handful of tax dissenters around Guerneville who demand that our District Board not work to quickly reopen a hospital that provides life-saving emergency service to tens of thousands of us.

I find this “why should we pay for hospital services that we may never use to be a morally bankrupt position.

Peacetown Jonathan... An "investigative reporter" investigates the facts before he writes his article. Let's start with what my wife and I do own in the town of Forestville. That would be our office building, our home and a contiguous empty parcel. We also own another house of about 600 sq. ft. and another parcel which has the garage for the 600 sq. ft. house. These facts could have easily been checked by searching the County tax records. Also, you could have given me a call and I would have given you this information. So your source stinks and your credibility as an "investigative reporter" is zero.

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Posted in reply to the post by Peacetown Jonathan:

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...I also understand, from more than one source, that Ms. Harris’ family owns more than 200 properties around Guerneville and the Russian River. ....

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Gary you will note that I said your wife's family--not you and your wife, owns 200 parcels in the County. Are you suggesting that this is untrue?

"I also understand, from more than one source, that Ms. Harris’ family owns more than 200 properties around Guerneville and the Russian River. "

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Posted in reply to the post by dog&pony:

Peacetown Jonathan... An "investigative reporter" investigates the facts before he writes his article. Let's start with what my wife and I do own in the town of Forestville. That would be our office building, our home and a contiguous empty parcel. We also own another house of about 600 sq. ft. and another parcel which has the garage for the 600 sq. ft. house. These facts could have easily been checked by searching the County tax records. Also, you could have given me a call and I would have given you this information. So your source stinks and your credibility as an "investigative reporter" is zero.

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Posted in reply to the post by Peacetown Jonathan:

Gary you will note that I said your wife's family--not you and your wife, owns 200 parcels in the County. Are you suggesting that this is untrue?

"I also understand, from more than one source, that Ms. Harris’ family owns more than 200 properties around Guerneville and the Russian River. "

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Yes, I am telling you that it is completely untrue. So your challenge is to explain why you are so loose with the facts.

Okay. Gary Harris. I revised the earlier post to retain the commentary, and remove the conjecture. It seems I mistook your wife for one of the other speakers at last Monday's meeting. I am sorry for the inaccuracy.

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Posted in reply to the post by dog&pony:

Yes, I am telling you that it is completely untrue. So your challenge is to explain why you are so loose with the facts.

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So, to get this straight, if Dog and Pony does not want to provide you with his wife's maiden name and name of parents and siblings, you will continue to run with your source of "two people who told me they heard..?"

What course in Journalism did you learn that "Two people told me they heard" be considered a "source?"

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Posted in reply to the post by Sebtown1968:

So, to get this straight, if Dog and Pony does not want to provide you with his wife's maiden name and name of parents and siblings, you will continue to run with your source of "two people who told me they heard..?"

What course in Journalism did you learn that "Two people tole me they heard" be considered a "source?"

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A fair question:

I seem to have gotten two of the speakers from last Monday's meeting mixed up.I am sorry that I did not do the follow up research to verify this before I posted it. Carolyn Harris was not the opponent of the parcel tax whose family owns the 200 parcels of West County real estate. I am sorry to have made this mistake.

I changed my original post and moved that part; keeping in the commentary.

To elucidate a bit further on the issue that Jonathan raised, which applies to all parcel taxes, landlords of multiple properties do not share equally in the communal service (in this case the hospital). They are paying for a benefit that accrues to their tenants; they see no additional benefit for themselves, yet they are paying what can amount to a hefty piece of change. What's more they only have 1 (or 2) votes and yet are taxed multiple times.

On the other hand, presumably the general market rate of rentals takes this into consideration,

What's more, in the case of the Palm Drive Health Care District, the benefits are further unequally distributed based on your proximity to Palm Drive versus other hospitals. The river districts don't seem to gain much in that Sutter can be as close or closer.

So I can understand Gary and Carolyn's virulent objection to re-opening the hospital versus some other delivery system for health care.

But the district has been drawn the way it was (which I think was not in the most appropriate fashion) and the majority has voted to give re-opening the hospital one more chance. I suspect it will be the last lifeline given, so I sure hope it works!

My courses in Journalism and my over 20 years of writing for numerous publications informs me that before I make any claim, I need to have at least 2 confirmed sources of any fact.

It is not the journalists job to ever speculate about what you think is going on. It is to report facts as you can get them verified,

It is not Garry Harris' responsibility to give you verification of his family's identity, it is your responsibility to verify any claim that you are making in print. I fail to understand how you did not learn that in the first day of our courses in journalism.

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Posted in reply to the post by Peacetown Jonathan:

...My experience also tells me to question authority, and not take things--such as Gary (or is it Carolyn using his Wacco box?) suggesting that what I have heard from two typically reliable sources is not true. ...

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Mark/Sebtown,

I am looking into this further. The story did not appear in print and I identified what I wrote as conjecture based on what I had heard. It turns out that I confused two of the speakers from last week's meeting.
So I see your point here.

While I check further, I am going to revise my original post and stick to the commentary, while removing the conjecture.